A Crownpoint man pleaded guilty on Mar. 13 in federal court to charges of strangling a woman and assaulting a tribal police officer with a taser.
The case highlights the serious nature of domestic violence and assaults against law enforcement officers within the Navajo Nation community.
According to court documents, Jason K. Thompson, 40, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, attempted to strangle Jane Doe on March 18, 2025. When law enforcement responded to the domestic violence call and tried to take Thompson into custody, he struggled with a Navajo Nation Police Department officer. During the altercation, Thompson grabbed the officer’s taser and used it against him with intent to injure. After being handcuffed and placed in a patrol unit, Thompson kicked out a window and escaped but was recaptured by officers later that night.
Thompson pleaded guilty to assault by strangulation and assault with a deadly weapon. He faces up to ten years in prison at sentencing.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement regarding the plea agreement. The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Probasco is prosecuting the case.
